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Time Required

15 minutes. Try to do this practice once per week, or at least once per month.

How to Do It

First, identify something about yourself that makes you feel ashamed, insecure, or not good enough. It could be something related to your personality, behavior, abilities, relationships, or any other part of your life.

Once you identify something, write it down and describe how it makes you feel. Sad? Embarrassed? Angry? Try to be as honest as possible, keeping in mind that no one but you will see what you write.

The next step is to write a letter to yourself expressing compassion, understanding, and acceptance for the part of yourself that you dislike.

As you write, follow these guidelines:

Imagine that there is someone who loves and accepts you unconditionally for who you are. What would that person say to you about this part of yourself?

Remind yourself that everyone has things about themselves that they don’t like, and that no one is without flaws. Think about how many other people in the world are struggling with the same thing that you’re struggling with.

Consider the ways in which events that have happened in your life, the family environment you grew up in, or even your genes may have contributed to this negative aspect of yourself.

In a compassionate way, ask yourself whether there are things that you could do to improve or better cope with this negative aspect. Focus on how constructive changes could make you feel happier, healthier, or more fulfilled, and avoid judging yourself.

After writing the letter, put it down for a little while. Then come back to it later and read it again. It may be especially helpful to read it whenever you’re feeling bad about this aspect of yourself, as a reminder to be more self-compassionate.

Difficulty: Casual|
Frequency: 1x/week|
Duration: 15 mins

(10 member ratings)

Why You Should Try It

We often judge ourselves more harshly than we judge others, beating ourselves up over our faults, flaws, and shortcomings. That makes us feel isolated, unhappy, and even more stressed; it may even make us try to feel better about ourselves by denigrating other people.

Rather than harsh self-criticism, a healthier response is to treat yourself with compassion and understanding. According to psychologist Kristin Neff, this “self-compassion” has three main components: mindfulness, a feeling of common humanity, and self-kindness. This exercise asks you to write a letter to yourself expressing compassion for an aspect of yourself that you don’t like. Research suggests that people who respond with compassion to their own flaws and setbacks—rather than beating themselves up—experience greater physical and mental health.

Difficulty: Casual|
Frequency: 1x/week|
Duration: 15 mins

(10 member ratings)

Evidence That It Works

Participants who wrote a self-compassionate letter every day for a week reported lower symptoms of depression and greater happiness three months later than they had beforehand; they also seemed happier and less depressed three months later than participants who had written about an early memory every day for a week. Their increase in happiness persisted six months later.

Participants in an eight-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program, which included practicing the self-compassionate letter, among other exercises, reported feeling greater self-compassion at the end of the program than they had at the beginning. Their self-compassion at the end of the eight weeks was also greater than that of a comparison group that didn’t participate in the program. The MSC participants also reported greater mindfulness and life satisfaction, and lower depression, anxiety, and stress, than the comparison group.

Participants in an online study who wrote a compassionate paragraph to themselves regarding a personal weakness subsequently reported greater feelings of self-compassion. They also experienced other psychological benefits, such as greater motivation for self-improvement, compared to participants who focused on boosting their self-esteem, distracting themselves, or nothing in particular.

Difficulty: Casual|
Frequency: 1x/week|
Duration: 15 mins

(10 member ratings)

Why It Works

Self-compassion reduces painful feelings of shame and self-criticism that can compromise mental health and well-being and stand in the way of personal growth. Writing in a self-compassionate way can help you replace your self-critical voice with a more compassionate one--one that comforts and reassures you rather than berating yourself for your shortcomings. It takes time and practice, but the more you write in this way, the more familiar and natural the compassionate voice will feel, and the easier it will be to remember to treat yourself kindly when you’re feeling down on yourself.

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Difficulty: Casual|
Frequency: 1x/week|
Duration: 15 mins

(10 member ratings)

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Comments & Reviews

Tanja Pederson

May 18, 2018

I'm working on living up to my greatest potential and one major obstacle for me is my negative self talk. I love this exercise because it gives me the opportunity to openly love myself, I am worthy and I am good and I am loved.

Zaira

April 25, 2018

Writing my thoughts down really helped bring me clarity. It was a unique way of expressing what I was thinking and allowed me to patiently write my feelings and work through them. The process helped me reflect on my own behavior and examine the ways I was thinking about things and how I could address things differently so that I may invite kindness into my self-perception.

Bridget

April 24, 2018

Writing self-compassionate letters helped me not get so down on myself during stressful points in the semester! It was a good break to remind myself to be kind to myself when dealing with the workload of grad school, that I am not alone, and to be mindful of how I handle these situations!!!

Joan Dugas

January 16, 2017

This exercise helped me to see my life in a broader view. I have a lot to feel good about myself and my efforts.

Marie Therese

April 28, 2016

This reminds me of my blog post today! Love letters to yourself are so helpful!

Adora

June 29, 2015

Cut down on the negative self talk. This activity helps re-program my brain how to confront my guilt and shame and self loathing.

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